Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solar cell.
Description of the Related Art
Recently, as existing energy sources such as petroleum and coal are expected to be depleted, interests in alternative energy sources for replacing the existing energy sources are increasing. Among the alternative energy sources, solar cells generating electric energy from solar energy have been particularly spotlighted.
A solar cell generally includes semiconductors that form a p-n junction by different semiconductors of different conductive types from each other, such a p-type and an n-type, and electrodes connected to the semiconductors, respectively.
When light is incident on the solar cell, a plurality of electron-hole pairs are generated in the semiconductors. The electron-hole pairs are separated into electrons and holes by the photovoltaic effect. Thus, the separated electrons move to the n-type semiconductor and the separated holes move to the p-type semiconductor, The electrons and holes are respectively collected by the electrode electrically connected to the n-type semiconductor and the electrode electrically connected to the p-type semiconductor. The electrodes are connected to one another using electric wires to thereby obtain electric power.